Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to television technology, and more particularly, a simple and relatively inexpensive eyewear apparatus or construction and method for viewing television-based programming or similar other visual moving picture type material such as movies in three-dimensions with the perception of depth added to the two-dimensional picture actually displayed without the requirement of specialized formatting of the visual material or the use of specialized electronic equipment.
Description of Prior Art
Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopic or three-dimensional (3-D) imaging) refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two (2) two-dimensional, offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of the two-dimensional, offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of three-dimensional depth. Four general strategies have been used to accomplish stereoscopic imaging, three of which employ specialized eyewear, and one of which requires no eyewear.
Those requiring special eyewear are: (1) recording and projecting simultaneously left and right images through filters of different colors, and providing the viewer with glasses using colored lenses of filters to allow each eye to see only the portion of the dual picture taken with the appropriate camera. (2) recording and projection of two distinct images, made by using dual cameras, displaying the left and right images alternately on the television of movie screen, and providing a means, such as electronic shutter glasses or circularly polarized glasses to direct separate left and right camera images to the left and right eye of the viewer.
(3) Utilizing ordinary television pictures taken with a single camera, but shown on a modified television set with the capability of presenting viewing frames at least twice the normal rate (120 Hz vs. 60 Hz) with internal software which presents every second frame altered by a very slight horizontal offset, which simulates much of the difference the two eyes would see if viewing the same scene from an intermediate distance. Again, shutter glasses are used to permit the left eye to see on the unaltered scene, while the right eye sees only the slightly shifted scene.
The method of permitting three-dimensional effects without special eyewear in special cameras and hand held devices utilized two cameras, and produces two images internally. These are viewed on a screen which is composed of tiny vertical sections arranged at such an angle to each other that the left eye can only see vertical elements on which the left picture is visible, and the right eye can see only the picture intended for the right eye.
No special glasses are worn by the viewer, but the technique is only usable when the distance from the viewer to the complex screen is on the order of 20 inches or so. At closer distances both eyes can see both sets of vertical elements, and at much greater distances, both eyes see the same set of elements. In either of these cases there is no three-dimensional effect created, so the method is not directly applicable to television sets or movie theater presentations.
The art of enabling viewers to view motion pictures without the requirement for, or the use of specialized eyewear reportedly dates from the 1930's. In this regard, the reader is directed to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0103546, authored by Collender et al., who provide a fairly decent historical synopsis for the history of glasses-free three-dimensional motion picture technology without glasses. The reader is thus invited to inspect said publication for further information regarding the historical development of three-dimensional motion picture viewing independent of eyewear.
Other patent-related disclosures illustrative of the pertinent art relating to the subject invention are briefly described hereinafter. U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,145 ('145 patent), issued to Tisher et al., for example, discloses a corrective lens system comprising a transparent protective lens of major dimension fabricated of synthetic plastic material, said protective lens having a body portion dimensioned to overlie the orbital region and being substantially curvilinear in cross section with a concave posterior surface, said protective lens having an annular lip portion on the posterior surface of said body portion and integral therewith, said lip portion being spaced inwardly from the periphery of said body portion and projecting posteriorly therefrom; and a corrective lens releasably mounted within said lip portion, said lip portion providing a seal about the periphery of said corrective lens and the underlying surface of the body portion to prevent contamination and soiling of the opposed surfaces thereof, said body portion of said protective lens being continuous and extending across the annular lip portion and the anterior surface of said corrective lens.
The stated primary objective of the '145 patent is to provide a corrective lens system including a protective lens of major dimension adapted to reduce substantially the likelihood of physical and light trauma to the eye and a corrective lens of lesser dimension affixed thereto which will permit facile variation of the degree and nature of correction. More specifically, a corrective lens system is provided to provide protection to the orbital region and facile, variable correction to the eye following surgical procedures thereon despite the incorporation of lenses and high corrective factors. The apparent objective, however, is to simply permit the use of replaceable corrective lenses by attaching a protective lens to the back of transparent pair of plain, non-corrective lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,854 ('854 patent), which issued to Jampolsky, discloses a Flexible Fresnel Refracting Membrane Adhered to Opthalmic Lens. The '854 patent describes a thin, fully conformable, plastic membrane which can be applied and made to adhere with finger pressure, to spectacle lenses for quickly and impermanently changing one or more optical characteristics of the spectacle lenses. The membrane may be embossed on one of its surfaces to form a Fresnel-type lens or prism structure to introduce a deviation of the light ray, may be partially or entirely tinted to pass only certain wavelengths of light, may be diffused, or blurred uniformly or differentially, may have selective opaqued or transmitting areas or a combination thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,370 ('370 patent), which issued to Snaper et al., discloses Planar Optical Viewing and Lenses. The '370 patent discloses an apparatus for producing a simulated three-dimensional psycho-image from a conventional two-dimensional image comprises a screen of transparent material having integral, alternate layers of materials with varying optical properties which enhance image contrast and provide an image bisection to produce an illusion of a three dimensional scene without the need for supplemental viewing glasses or similar devices. Alternate embodiments simulate Fresnel lens performance and provide color conversion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,326 ('326 patent), which issued Dauvergne, discloses Lenticular Eyewear and Method of Fabrication. The '326 patent discloses a lenticular lens for eyewear and method for making the same, the lens being formed with a curved substrate having a plurality of lentoid impressions formed preferably on the inner surface of the substrate by a mold that includes curved, opposed mold pieces, one mold piece having an inset with parallel posts forming a composite face that is ground to a predetermined first curvature for optical correction, and then reoriented by sliding the posts to a predetermined second curvature complimentary to curvature of the opposed mold piece for imprinting thin lens blanks with multiple lentoid impressions for lightweight recreational eyewear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,510 ('510 patent), which issued Peters et al., discloses Alignment Eyeglasses. The '510 patent discloses eyeglasses to aid a wearer, especially athletes or participants in sports, to diminish the input from his or her occulo-vestibular reflexes and provide immediate visual feedback concerning alignment while he or she is performing any motor coordinated skill or movement. More particularly, the eyeglasses have one or more substantially straight visible transparent lines on one or both of the eyepieces which appear to be superimposed on the view through the line or lines.
Each line is substantially parallel to the horizontal or vertical axis of its eyepiece. This line or lines enable the wearer of the eyeglasses to readily check alignment of the body, head, hands and/or a held object with a viewed object, e.g. a golf ball, a pitched baseball, a bowling pin, a basketball, etc. and aid the wearer to make alignment corrections if necessary. The lines may be clear or tinted and defined by tinted areas formed by pigments penetrating to a very shallow depth from only one of the front and back surfaces of the corresponding eyepiece. A simplified process is presented for tinting those areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,238 ('238 patent), which issued to Slavin, discloses a Method for Driver Education that Mimics Intoxication. The '238 patent describes a new realistic, inexpensive, adaptable, and portable driver education method that mimics the effects of intoxication in the participants through utilization of a simplified optics device in the form of specialized eyeglasses having binocular, manually-spinnable Fresnel prism lenses.
The spinnable optics device simulates most of the toxic effects on the central nervous system which are induced by excess alcohol and/or drugs of abuse, resulting in distorted vision and spatial disorientation in the wearer. The driver education method involves the participants wearing the specialized eyeglasses while performing various ambulatory end non-ambulatory tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,480 ('480 patent), which issued to Capes, discloses Keyboard Practice Glasses. The '480 patent describes glasses to be worn over the eyes of a student who is learning to sight-read sheet music, which completely prevent the keyboard student from accidentally looking down at his hands on the keyboard while allowing the student full view of the sheet music. The glasses comprise paired lens portions each of which is divided substantially in half to produce a clear region for viewing the sheet music and an opaque or translucent region which prevents viewing of the hands on the keyboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,990 ('990 patent), which issued to Einhorn, discloses Press-On Lenses for Relieving Computer Related Eye Problems. The '990 patent describes a temporary lens for attachment to prescription eyeglasses. The temporary lens is attached to prescription eyeglasses by means of electrostatic force. The temporary lens contains optical components in a unique combination to relieve the vision problems associated with prolonged computer use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,521 ('521 patent), which issued to Kindschuh discloses Eyewear That Simulates Bodily Impairments. The '521 patent describes eyewear of the invention causes a person to perceive nearby objects as being distorted such that the person cannot perform simple tasks. The eyewear comprises a goggle with an opening that spans both eyes of the person. A Fresnel lens is used to produce an eyepiece that fills the goggle opening. Different distortion effects are perceived depending on the particular area of the Fresnel lens from which the eyepiece is produced. The eyewear is particularly useful as an educational tool that simulates intoxication and other bodily impairments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,345 ('345 patent), which issued to Zolten, discloses a Method of Training and Rehabilitating Brain Function Using Hemi-Lenses. The '345 patent describes a method of rehabilitation or training of targeted portions of the brain in which hemi-lenses having semi-opaque radial segments selectively blind portions of the visual processing areas of the brain to force visual processing to a particular portion of the brain which is thereby stimulated. Such rehabilitation consists of having the patient perform visual and non-visual tasks constructed to activate processing in the targeted portion of the brain. The hemi-lenses may be employed in a series of gradually increased translucency to allow the patient's visual system to adapt in stages to the rehabilitated balance between intact visual processing and relearned visual processing.
United States Patent Application No. 2005/0190341, which was authored by Russomagno et al., Opaque films are adhered electrostatically to lenses of eyewear, are used to train baseball fielders and golfers. For baseball, the films, placed on the lower parts of the lenses establish opaque areas which encourage the player to follow a ball visually throughout its entire path of travel toward the player's glove. The opaque areas may have a convex upper edge or a concave upper edge. In the latter case, the training aid can be used, without modification to train the player in batting. For golf an opaque film covers one lens, and an opaque film having a lenticular transparent opening in its upper part is placed on the other lens. The films encourage the golfer to keep his or her head down and behind the ball during the downswing.
United States Patent Application No. 2013/0222757, which was authored by Klein et al., describes an ergonomic vertical redirection vision system comprising glasses or goggles with lenses modified to include a Fresnel prism that vertically redirects light. The curved Fresnel prism is a novel curved refractive element with unique advantages compared to a flat Fresnel prism.
The curved Fresnel prism may be achromatized by the addition of an appropriate diffractive surface thereby creating a hybrid achromat or diffractive/refractive optical element (DROE). Looking through the modified eyewear will redirect the user's visual field up or down, depending on the configuration. Upward vision redirection improves ergonomics and aerodynamics for several sports including bicycle riding, swimming, downhill ski racing, and motorcycle racing. Downward vision redirection improves the ergonomics of reading a book, working on a laptop or pad computer, or taking notes in a class.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,717,425 ('425 patent), issued to author Hardison of these specifications, discloses a System for Stereoscopically Viewing Motion Pictures. Moving pictures, as may be exemplified by television programming, are viewed stereoscopically according to the system described by the '425 patent, which system necessarily comprises a visual display screen upon which may be displayed a left-to-right reversed visual display. A reflecting surface is positioned opposite the visual display screen for reflecting imagery from the visual display screen toward the viewer. The reflected imagery provides a reflected left-to-right correct visual display.
The visual display screen is spaced from the reflecting surface such that the viewer's perception of the visual display screen causes the viewer to focus on a point behind the reflecting surface at a distance increased by the distance from the display to the mirror, thereby requiring the viewer to perceive laterally offset reflections of the visual display screen at the reflecting surface. In one embodiment, a cabinet assembly enables the viewer or user to selectively position the visual display screen relative to the primary reflecting surface for enhancing the perception of depth in imagery effected by the perceived laterally offset reflections.
The present specifications are believed to define around the '854 patent in view of the '425 patent and provides an eyewear apparatus or construction specifically designed to enhance a visual perception of three-dimensional motion picture programming when watching movies, video, television programs, and the like which appear as ordinary two-dimensional programming as filmed by way of a single camera or video recorder without the requirement of the reflecting mirror and reversed screen image.
The subject eyewear apparatus is particularly designed for such programming incorporating or comprising a special lens or lenses which direct the line of sight of one or both eyes outward by 1 to 10 degrees from the normal line of sight through what might be characterized as the normal parallel alignment of flat, non-magnifying lenses. The physical principles, are to a large extend discussed in the '425 patent. However, the improvement here being addressed is that no special arrangement of the equipment is required, and a relatively inexpensive eyewear apparatus can produce the same effect. The systemic aspects of the '425 patent are relatively impractical or convoluted as compared to the present invention, as summarized in more detail hereinafter.